Stage Blocked
by Repentorperish
Summary: Aspiring writer, Lucy Heartfilia, turns her unpublished romantic fantasy novel into a play to save her favorite author's marriage. But Natsu Dragneel discovers a dark secret about their new client that spells danger. With Fairy Tail's reputation and their tight-knit friendship in jeopardy, Natsu and Lucy must work together without falling in love. *I do not own Fairy Tail*
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

A Story Proposal

Smelling the enemy's body odor for hours on end became the final straw for Natsu Dragneel. Even at a few meters of distance between them, his nose crinkled as if he was sitting inside a cramped room full of sweaty men at a hot sauna. Yet, shaking off the enemy's location from behind the dense bushes of the East Forest meant becoming a victim to its surprise attack.

Another whiff and Natsu dodged with a roll to his right from the heavy ton of fist hammering down on him. The earth shook and white dust clouded the area. Resting on his foot and knee, Natsu observed his enemy. As the dust settled, a 15-foot Gorian towered over him on tiny hindlimbs and beefy knuckles that could crush his lean build like a stick. It was the tallest one out of it's kind. Natsu wouldn't be surprised if the ape-like menace was an alpha male. With beady white eyes tinted with predatory heat, and a chuckle reverberating deep beneath hollow, ripped torso, the forestland creature growled. "Human."

Natsu wiped off the sweat across his upper lip with a thumb, sensing a deadly form of energy emanating from its body. It was ready for a chow down, and he was today's lunch special. "Sorry pal, but the only thing you're eating is my knuckle sandwich!"

Provoked, the Gorian pulled back a fist and swung forth. Striking the ground, Natsu high-jumped and landed on its arm. He dashed up to its shoulder, aiming his fist right between its eyes. Something smacked against his side, rattling his ribcage. He felt himself soaring through the air and his back struck against a tree trunk, knocking the wind out of him. He fell forward, crashing onto a thick branch with his stomach. He hissed at the pain rippling throughout his body.

"Natsu!" A familiar, light-pitched voice sounded from above. Happy hovered in front of him, flapping his white wings. "You alright?"

Natsu forced a grin, biting back the pain. "Are ya kiddin'? That didn't hurt one bit!"

Returning the grin that earned his name, the blue feline held up the white rose bouquet with his tail wrapped around the stem. "That monkey on steroids won't quit. I'll distract it while you come up with a plan."

Natsu opened his mouth to agree when a giant hand was heading their way. "Happy! Look out!" He shoved him out of the way before beefy fingers gripped his entire torso, squeezing the air out of him. Leaves and branches slapped his face and arms as he was pulled to face the monstrosity up close and personal.

The Gorian chuckled victoriously. "Time to get in my belly, Pinkie."

Natsu forced tight air through gritted teeth. Intense heat began to boil beneath his skin; a precursor of unregrettable destruction. "Call me Pinkie one more time."

Broad, yellow teeth spread from ear to ear, needling with a long drawl. "Pinkie."

That was all he needed. His hair color was _reddish_ , not pink. His entire body ignited into a smoldering inferno. The Gorian roared in agony, pulling back its hand covered in third-degree burns. Natsu landed on one knee, heaving tons of air back into his lungs. He picked his head up and found another fist heading towards him. But Happy head-butted into the Gorian's cheek. A yellow tooth flew out upon impact.

 _Nice shot!_

The Gorian stumbled back and fell against a tree that tilted beneath its weight and hung over a cliff that overlooked the heart of the forest.

Natsu formed an idea. "Happy, catch me!"

"Eh?!"

He was already darting towards the Gorian, chanting. "Fire Dragon Wing Attack!" Fiery ropes shot out of his hands as he whipped them forward. The flames latched around the Gorian's torso as Natsu flipped in mid-air and landed on the other side. He yanked with all of his strength and the tree dipped under their weight. They plunged down into steepening heights. Free-falling, the Gorian reached out to grab Natsu, but he shot flames in directions to evade its crushing fingers. Happy nose-dived, pushing off rock debris and branches with his paws to gain momentum and snatched Natsu in time for the Gorian to fall into the bed of tree canopies below them.

Moments later, the Gorian picked its head back up, recovering from a daze, shot them a murderous glare, and rolled off the canopy to scramble back to the uncharted territories of mystical beasts. Natsu chuckled as they soared towards the sunset behind the snow-capped mountain range of Mt Hakobe.

"Told ya we should've flown instead of walk." Happy muttered, securing his grip beneath his underarms. "The roses would attract those monsters right to us."

Satisfied with the outcome though, he crossed his arms. "Nah. I needed something to get all this pumped up energy out somehow."

Happy shook his head light-heartedly. "Figured you would say that."

As soon as they landed near their destination, Natsu walked over to the sparkling stream peppered with blossoming lilypads and ugly-looking amphibians croaking for potential mates. He kneeled down by the riverbank, cupped cold water for a refreshing drink, and splashed some on his face. He loosened his scarf and pressed the warm, cotton fabric against his tanned skin. The grey scale-like patterns caught his eye, reminding him of the familiar dragon scales of his father. Since the day Igneel had disappeared from him as a young boy, Natsu had sworn to find him and the answers to all of his questions that'd been tamped down for many years.

Why did he leave him behind? Where is he now? If the place where Igneel had flown to was dangerous, did he believe Natsu wasn't strong enough to follow him? The idea of Igneel being taken hostage by man was out of the question. Nobody on earth could take out a mighty dragon, especially if one of them taught him Dragon Slayer magic. So no matter whether or not Igneel is nearby, Natsu will keep training hard and make him proud to be his son.

"Hey, look what I found!"

Natsu glanced over at Happy being mesmerized by the shimmering rainbow scales of exotic fish spawning near the waterside. His stomach growled, having not eaten anything but pancakes left in Lucy's fridge since this morning. He reached over the water, fingers extended for a quick grab of late lunch, but soon came to his senses. The school of fish fled within seconds, leaving behind pink marble-like eggs that blended with the colorful pebbles. Best to let them have their fun first and catch more of them next season. Happy watched them disappear with disappointment, but only for a brief moment. Years of fishing with Gildart, the coolest adult in the guild, had taught them that all good things come to those who wait.

"Come on." Natsu gestured with his head. "Let's not keep Lisanna waiting."

Passing by a few hedges around the corner and under low-hanging tree branches, they stepped into the yellow grassy plain near the crystalline, snowcapped mountains. In the center of all the natural beauty, there stood a straw hut and a gravestone. Happy replaced the dead roses from last year with the new bouquet on the threshold. The white roses were all of Natsu's idea. Whenever he'd flipped the white petals upside down, they'd looked identical to Lisanna's hair; short and white. They'd framed her big, blue eyes and sweet smile. There wasn't a day that he could forget that smile, especially when they radiated unconditional kindness to every living soul.

As a loyal member of the Fairy Tail guild, Lisanna had gladly called the members her family. She'd never wanted to be away from people unless she was too busy looking for those who don't like people. Natsu knew this about her because he was one of them. She'd found him sitting alone outside in the grey downpour one day, and he'd lashed out at her. But instead of countering with the usual jab, she'd coolly countered with a question about Igneel. It was a curveball that he didn't expect. Most of the orphans from the guild didn't believe that his father was a real dragon. To them, dragons were just a myth.

But she believed.

Kneeling down before the gravestone that her brother, Elfman, made with his bare hands, Natsu wiped off the moss with his thumb, revealing the engravings: In Memory of Lisanna Strauss. His shoulders grew taut; the pain of her absence still weighing heavily on him as if it was yesterday. But this year, he found closure from the help of his friends in Fairy Tail. Lisanna had always wanted that for him after all. With a sigh of inner peace, Natsu turned his back towards the grave, sat beside Happy, and watched the sunset.

Just like the good old days.

* * *

"You did what?!" Lucy Heartfilia's mouth dropped, her soul nearly escaping out of it.

Levy McGardner, whom Lucy was beginning to see the new side of her gal pal, folded her arms with pure satisfaction. "You heard me right! The infamous best-selling author of all times, Thomas Wilson, is interested in hearing the proposal of your romantic novel! Of course, it took us a lot of begging and pleading, but we made it work. No excuses this time, Lucy. Mira already put in a good word to the headmaster."

As if on cue, Mira Jane set down two large glasses of iced drinks onto the bar counter, and winked at Levy. "It's official. Our Lucy is finally about to become the next famous author. Master approved." Her sweet and angelic voice that complemented her snowy white hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall, could warm every heart in the guild. But all Lucy could feel was fear, as cold as her fingers paling around the glass of iced pink lemonade. She was hoping to take a break from finishing her romantic novel after being cooped up in her apartment for an entire month. And knowing Levy would do anything to make her happy with her pursuit of creative writing, Lucy had entrusted her to keep her work on the down low.

 _Of course, look how that turned out..._

Levy must've noticed her pale expression because concern and regret painted across her face. She wrapped a comforting arm around Lucy's shoulders. "Oh Lucy, I'm so sorry. I didn't think you would be this upset. You've just worked so hard on this book that I really think you deserve some recognition. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It's time to show the world what you're made of."

Lucy forced a weak smile. "Yeah, you're right."

"So you'll do it?"

She said it so quickly that Lucy wondered if she was being genuine earlier. Then, she looked down at the ice floating aimlessly around the pink cloud of liquid. "I don't know about this, Levy." She said slowly. "I don't think I'm even ready to show my work to a professional. I mean sure, I'm psyched that my favorite childhood author is here in the flesh. But... what if my story is not good enough?"

"Are you kidding me?!" Levy gripped both of her shoulders, appalled. "You're the most talented writer I've ever met! Your novel about the Dragon Prince is amazingly romantic, Luce! Here." She rummaged through her brown, leather knapsack, pulled out the blue floral notebook, and held it out to her.

"And," Mira quickly added. "I especially loved the part when the princess shared her true love's first kiss with the handsome prince." She sing-songed wistfully.

Her eyebrow twitched, and Lucy gawked at Levy. "I thought I told you not to let anybody else read it."

She raised her hands up in chagrin. "Sorry! Mira was so curious to the point she had to bribe me. But I promise you that nobody else had read your novel."

Some time ago, Lucy had permitted Levy to read her first completed masterpiece as leisure, as well as to offer her critique. But at this point, Lucy was beginning to regret of ever lending her written work to ANY friend.

Mira's smile remained on her face, giving Lucy a creepy vibe. "On the bright side, Mr. Wilson and the Master are playing catch up over a few drinks at his office. Apparently, they'd used to be old colleagues from long ago. So what better time to propose your book to him than now?"

Lucy sighed irritably and sipped on her pink lemonade. They made it seem like impressing Fiore's award-winning author with her amateurish writing would be a walk in the park.

"Remember what I've told you about taking risks?" Levy asked, her tone growing serious.

"Yeah." She rested a cheek on the heel of her hand. "And I also remember saying that I don't take risks." In fact, she'd avoid any risk from the face of the planet; usually, the ones with the higher chances of experiencing an early death. In this case, a book rejection was an act of suicide to her self-esteem. And in her line of defense, she'd already received plenty of rejection by the man who raised her without her mother.

Levy evened her gaze at hers. "Well now is the time. And as hard as this may sound, and because I love you to death, you'll never become a famous writer if you don't get your foot in the door. Mr. Wilson can make your book famous and, trust me when I tell you this; you got potential."

Mira had returned to polishing a glass tumbler in silence but kept her ears open to the conversation.

Blinking at the two women before her, Lucy exhaled slowly to stop the churning in her stomach. "This may be the scariest thing that I'll ever have to do. But..." She smiled. "With friends like you and Fairy Tail, there's no room for fear." She could imagine it now. Lucy Heartfilia, the next best-selling, youngest author with a hidden talent. Mr. Wilson himself would praise her as the writer he'd been searching for all his life, and tell the world of how her work had astounded him beyond all measures. Her story was engaging, enchanting. The kind of literary piece Fiore has been looking for!

"And always remember this, Lucy." Levy placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "No matter what happens. Rejection or not, you'll always be my number one favorite author." She gave her a friendly wink, and Lucy felt the weight lift off her shoulders. Levy always knew how to encourage people on a bad day.

"Okay!" Lucy rose up from her seat. "I'll do it!" She pulled up her heart-shaped blouse higher over her cleavage, but the fabric fell back down from the immense weight of her bust. Her lips pursed out with a pout. She smoothed down her miniskirt to cover a few inches of leg skin, but the hem rose back up. She exhaled. Last-Minute shopping for a classier outfit reaching a few inches longer than her fingers was out of the question. She looked down at her black, leather, knee-high boots and wondered if they could distract him from staring at her smoking hot curves. Unless the guy was a secret pervert, she hoped her first impression wouldn't become the primary cause of her book rejection.

After receiving good luck exchanges from the girls, Lucy ventured down the hallway towards the wooden oak double doors. Lifting a hand to knock, she stopped at the sound of glass clinking behind the door, followed by random incoherent mumblings.

The door creaked open slightly, and she angled her head in. Her eyes skimmed across the office. The closed velvet curtains, wine glasses stacked precariously on the coffee table near the fireplace, and a man slumped against a leather armchair. His strange figure startled her nerves to rise in her chest again. Her eyes quickly rested on the familiar tiny old man, with thinning white hair surrounding his baldness, sitting on the armchair across from him. Master Makarov looked up, and his shoulders stiffened, but his tone remained soft and fatherly. "Yes, child? What do you need?"

Lucy quickly thought of apologizing and get the heck out of here, but hope kept her still. Fearing the worst should be the last thing on her mind. Not when she made it this far, and definitely not when the sudden bad feeling simmered in her gut. She approached the two men, wearing her best positive smile. "Hello Master, sorry if I'm interrupting anything. But I was informed that Mr. Wilson wished to hear my book proposal?"

After what felt like long hours of silence, Master Makarov exhaled from his pipe, the smoke curling its way up towards the ceiling, and looked at the man sitting across from him. "Care to let in one more potential author before your early retirement?"

Lucy's eyes widened. _Early retirement?!_ This prospect was never mentioned in the latest issue of _Sorceror Weekly_. He and his wife owned a prestigious publishing firm. His wife worked as a publisher while he worked as author and editor. In the world of finance, of which her father had practiced religiously, an author doesn't get paid a decent, steady income as much as the publisher. So for him to retire early would either mean he'd saved enough profit in a separate account from his wife or in a marital joint account. But still, even if it was money he was after, why retire from doing the things he loved all his life?

She leaned to the side to see his face more clearly from behind the armchair, waiting for an answer that would solve all of the millions of mysteries popping into her head. The old hand raised up from the armrest and made a dismissive wave. Her heart sank.

"Forget about it," Said Mr. Wilson. "There's no use for another trivial pursuit."

 _Another trivial pursuit?_ Lucy looked to Master Makarov, confused. Earlier ago, he'd granted her permission to speak to him. So why on earth would he get her hopes up if he'd expected Mr. Wilson wouldn't be in the mood to look at her? She should feel rejected. But somehow, Mr. Wilson's tone didn't sound like a rejection of her book or her as a potential author. It was more like giving up something truly valuable to him.

Master Makarov grunted. "I'm not one to tell you what to do, Thomas. But hear me out when I say that Miss Heartfilia would love to have this opportunity to speak with you."

There was a pause. The air shifted towards something more positive then. With a sip of amber liquid, Mr. Wilson sighed heavily and set an empty glass down next to the others. "Where is she?"

Master Makarov gestured for her to approach him. "Have a seat, child. Don't be shy." He encouraged gently.

Touched by the headmaster's support of her wishes, she loosened her tight grip on the notebook and made her way to the leather couch. The smell of backhand smoke wafted in the air, mildly disorienting her for a bit. She took another glance at her headmaster. He was still holding his smoke pipe. Usually, he would take it out whenever he'd just received some bad news.

Mr. Wilson leaned over the table and poured himself another drink. In all of his pictures in magazines, his eyes were usually filled with warmth and crinkles at the sides with wisdom and cheers. When those sunken, dark eyes landed on her, she could've sworn there was a glimmer of recognition before replaced with doubt.

Leaning back in the armchair with a slouch, he muttered. "Let's get this over with."

Clinging tighter onto her story, Lucy braved the waters with a light smile. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Wilson. As a little girl, your stories had inspired me to become a writer one day, and so meeting you for the first time has been a great honor. I even look forward to your next weekly advice for amateur writers on _Sorceror Weekly_."

He only grunted.

Closing her eyes, she took another deep breath. "This story is about a beautiful princess whose kingdom was terrorized by ferocious dragons. A handsome prince strives to win her heart by slaying the leader of the dragons, known as the Dragon Prince. Feeling hopeless by her inability to stop the ongoing battle between man and beast, the princess runs away from home to find a solution. And even though the prince, arranged to marry her, offers his aid upon her quest, she refuses, believing he only loves her for her dowry and her father's crown." She paused to see if the author wanted to stop her. His eyes were on her now, expecting more. So she continued. "Then, the princess was captured by the Dragon Prince, the leader of the dragons and an enemy whom everyone in her kingdom greatly feared."

"What is the name of your book?" He asked.

She stuttered slightly, "Uh, _The Dragon Prince_."

"And what made the princess feel repulsed by the royal prince?"

"Well, the prince was well-known to have a promiscuous history with other women. And in order for her to fall in love with him, he must win her trust." Lucy blinked when he chuckled out of nowhere. Shaking his head, he pinched the bridge of his temples. "Funny how women believe in that stuff and still leave the good guy anyway."

She blinked, uncertain how to properly respond. "Excuse me?"

Did this mean her story was unbelievable? If so, he could at least have the human decency of telling her so without scoffing at her.

Master Makarov cleared his throat and looked at Lucy with an unreadable expression. "I'm sorry, Lucy. You'll have to forgive my old friend here. Perhaps a different time would be the best."

"No, it's fine." Mr. Wilson spoke up, straightening up in his armchair. "Do you have your manuscript?"

Lucy tentatively handed the novel to him, and he pulled out his wing-tipped reading glasses. Lucy smiled upon recognition: Gale-Force glasses. She and Levy have their own pair whenever they want to browse through the guild's library. Upon will, his glasses shimmered magically. The pages of her manuscript flipped rapidly like a picture flipbook.

A few moments had passed when Lucy caught a brief twinkle in his eye, and fresh hope filled up within her. Her friends were right. Maybe she would become the next youngest author with a hidden talent. For a split second, she imagined herself waltzing down the red carpet in a beautiful princess gown, poised and confident, taking in all the glory from her obsessed fans. They would cry out her name and rave to everyone about how her stories had touched every young heart, mind, and soul.

The manuscript snapped shut then, jarring her back into attention. The twinkle in his eye was gone as if its existence had only been conjured up by her imagination. A faint color filled his face, and after a pondering silence, he returned the folder to her. "You've mentioned of reading all of my writing tips from _Sorceror Weekly_. Well, your creative writing had certainly proven itself worth reading through." Lucy perked up by a million as another brief pause followed. "Who is your targeted audience?"

She grinned widely. "I'm writing for young women and men. Teens included. I hope that the themes in my story would encourage romantic couples everywhere to never give up on loving someone, even through hard times. You see, you've also mentioned in one of your weekly tips that a successful romantic story should inspire readers to fall in love, either with the characters or with someone else in their world."

"Hm." He nodded with a soft smile. "I did say that." He swirled his drink in his wineglass thoughtfully. "Let me give you another advice. About targeting your male audience. To engage them, you must learn how to make them fall in love with your princess."

She blinked. "Haven't I done that already?"

"You've managed to portray the handsome prince character quite well. If a young teenage girl were to read this, she would instantly fall in love with him. But your princess character… You need to work on her."

"Oh… I see." Lucy felt the warmth spreading across her cheeks. She'd never expected this kind of feedback. "So how can I improve in that area? Is there a way I can learn how a boy falls in love?"

The man finally smiled, shared a knowing glance at Master Makarov, and glanced back at her. "Your guild has chock-full of strong men. Ask around and learn what they value most in women."

Lucy caught the slight edge in his tone when he said the last word, and a strange cold feeling settled in her gut. Did he know someone who gave him a sudden distaste against the opposite gender?

Mr. Wilson cleared his throat. "Take heed to this advice, and you'll be on your way to writing the greatest romantic story."

Right. The subtle rejection of her novel didn't sting as much as she'd thought. She would consider his advice and do some major research with Levy at the guild's library. She may have to form interview questions with some of the guys. But she also sensed there was something he was not telling her.

Master Makarov interjected. "Perhaps your wife could help her in that area."

Mr. Wilson grunted and gestured to Lucy. "She would have to speak with her without mentioning me. That woman had stopped taking people whom I'd recommended to her."

The headmaster furrowed his brows. "How come?"

He shook his head and waved dismissively. "Beats me. It seemed that she didn't want anything to do with my influence on the business."

Suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle began to form a clearer picture. Lucy trod carefully in choosing her words to confirm her suspicion. "If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Wilson, why retire so early in your career? You got a huge fan base that loves you, with thousands of clients proposing books to you and your wife left and right."

"Because…" There was a hitch in his breath, and his tone was rougher than before. "I've lost my inspiration in writing romance novels."

A dead silence brewed in, and Lucy quickly found her voice. "I-I don't understand. What was your inspiration?"

Another few moments passed as he gazed at her with some concentration and shook his head. "My wife." He lowered his head. "But of course, life has a way of changing things."

Lucy grew speechless. Marriage was something she would fantasize almost every night in her bed. A million romantic fantasies didn't exactly qualify her as an expert in giving marital advice. Placing herself in his shoes, she let her heart go out to him. How would she cope if her lover was her inspiration and soon leave her with the divorce papers in the end? She would be so heartbroken; if only his wife could remember the reasons why she'd fallen in love with him. Tired of watching her idol in his state of depression, Lucy shifted her gaze to something more cheerful. Old scattered books were collecting dust on the bookshelves, just like her dream of finding true love one day.

That thought wasn't cheerful at all.

She lowered her head with a huff. There must be a way that could remind her of the fondest memories that would outweigh the bad ones; a perfect reminder that could change his wife's mind about the divorce. Then, her eye caught the golden letters imprinted on one of the books: _The Art of Stage Crafting._

An idea struck.

"Mr. Wilson, I would like to make another proposition." With every word more saturated with pure confidence, she rose from her seat and moved across the room. Picking up the book from the pile, she turned to the men watching her curiously. "A successful romantic story can inspire people to fall in love. Wouldn't you think those same stories played on stage can also inspire people?"

Mr. Wilson returned a blank stare.

"Where are you going with this, Lucy?" Master Makarov asked slowly.

"If I have your permission, Master," Lucy grinned and closed her eyes. "I would like to inspire his wife to fall in love again with a romantic play, based out of my novel."

Mr. Wilson rubbed the dark grey stubbles on his chin, eyeing the blue manila folder resting on the coffee table. He eventually glanced up at her. "I'm listening."


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Birth of the Dragon Prince

The hand on the clock struck the next hour before the last. And Lucy gulped down another lump of worry in her throat. Closing the red, velvet curtain in front of her, she turned to lift her eyes towards the stage lights. Behind the bright beams, she could make out the flicker of Levy's sun-colored petite dress. Short in stature, she leaned over on her tippy toes to push the beam towards center stage, away from Lucy's dark eyes. 

Standing on the side, Jet and Droy beat their drums and waved their banners written in black, bold letters. "Woo! Go, Levy! You can do it!" 

"Looking good up there, Levy!" Lucy called out, hands cupped above her mouth.

"Aw, thank you!" She smiled down at everyone, giggling modestly.

"Oh by the way," Lucy brightened with an idea. "Are your teammates deciding to audition tonight?"

A frown spread across her face and her bottom lip sunk beneath her teeth. She glanced over at the boys and back at her. "Um, I'm afraid not. Actually, the team and I were thinking about forming a backstage crew. You know, handling the technical work and designing the backdrops and all. Is that alright with you?"

"Uh, yeah sure." Lucy forced a grin, aware that her tone needed to sound more convincing than she let on. Granted, they need a crew. But what good was having one if they don't have a cast to work with? "I just hope that we could get people to sign up already."

Her bestie crossed over to the next stage light and tested out the beam, her eyes focusing on the task at hand. "Well, we only got until midnight before Mira locks up the guild for the day. But don't worry," She quickly said, flickering her gaze to Lucy. "That's an hour before then. That's plenty of time for more people to join. Right?" 

Lucy sighed. She greatly appreciated her attempt to think positive. But even if some people decided to participate at this very second, they still need to read the script before auditioning.

"Oh!" Levy perked up, hope pulling her focus away from the tangible. "I can ask Gajeel if he wants to audition."

She chuckled nervously. "Really? Ya don't say?" Levy was a sweet bookworm with a serious crush on the edgy Iron Dragon Slayer, Gajeel Redfox. Though his face contorted with hard lines from his dark past, covered in piercings of steel nails generated by his own magic, his appearance didn't seem to turn Levy off in the slightest. As much as it had saddened Lucy to admit to herself, the chance of Levy convincing him to participate in a _romantic_ play was as slim as her chance in becoming his girlfriend.

 _Perhaps someone had already signed up for an audition by now_.

Hope pushed her to throw open the curtains, descend Fairy Tail's wide stage, and cross the densely populated dining hall of rowdy and rambunctious wizards. Seated around booths and dining tables peppered with booze and plates of hot wings, men guffawed from their raunchy conversations and women engaged themselves in juicy gossip. The loudest of the social bunch was Cana challenging everyone into a beer-chugging competition at the bar, and winning by a landslide. Sitting in the quietest corner of the hall was the lovely couple, Alzack and Bisca, whispering sweet nothings to each other and holding hands. And Wendy and Carla plan their next day of training with the aid of Erza Scarlet, one of the most influential women of their guild, in power and integrity. For the first time all day, Lucy felt the reassuring peace and belonging warming in her chest, pushing a fresh wave of pride and contentment onto her face. As she approached the mission board teeming with posters of jobs and promising rewards for many to snatch and make extra income for a summer kick-off, she narrowed her focus on the hot pink embroidered sign-up sheet. 

It was still blank.

That glimmer of hope dissipated into a black hole, sucking the rest of her dreams of directing a play into a vortex. Her mission had been posted on the board since early afternoon. And not a single person signed up. Should she hit the panic button now, or wait till the next day… and panic some more with the same result? She breathed out slowly and clapped her hands onto her cheeks. _Come on Lucy, snap out of it. This isn't the time to panic._ What was meant to be an internal thought accidentally came out of her lips. She clasped her mouth shut with a hand, looking around in case anyone had overheard her. But they didn't.

She must stay positive. Like Levy.

Then, someone crashed into her from behind, knocking the wind out of her. Stumbling forward, she braced herself for the crushing physical pain from a random brawl started out by powerful wizards. Yet, from the corner of her eye, a heavy arm hooked around her neck. And a familiar voice behind the casual, signature grin drew her eyes towards his face. 

"Heya, Luce! Got us a mission already?"

How did Natsu do that with a simple smile? Send her troubles running for the hills, only for hope to return home like the prodigal son. No book sitting in the shelves of the guild's high-ceiling library could decipher this kind of magic. But she didn't mind the mystery, especially if she was sure as hell glad that he and Happy came to her time of need.

Her grin matching his, she winked. "Yep, you bet!"

"See, Natsu?" Happy hovered in front of the board and pointed at another poster with a Wanted sign right beside her. "I knew she'd picked this one. She's just as pumped to kick some bandits' butt! All she gotta do is use her keys as bait to fish them out of the East forest."

Lucy blinked. "Say what?!" 

"Good idea, little buddy!" Natsu joined. "Come on, Luce! It'll be cake!"

"No way!" Her hand instinctively rested on her leather pouch full of golden keys. "First of all, we're not using my friends from the celestial world as bait."

"Why not? We use you as bait." Natsu pointed out, and Lucy hated that he was right. When it comes to getting the job done, her charm and beauty could distract their enemies into submission.

But… "I don't care." She crossed her arms, enforcing a firm stand. "It's up to them whether they want to be bait."

The team fell silent. Nobody was willing to oppose the idea of treating her celestial spirits as slaves or objects. Although Loki and the Zodiacs had willingly formed a contract with her to serve and protect her, she still regarded them as friends. 

"And second of all," Her smile gave way for pride to reemerge. "I got us a different mission. We're going to produce a play based off of my romance novel." 

Natsu formed a blank stare as Happy plopped himself onto the ground, tail falling in defeat. "Another play?" Happy asked drily.

"That's right!" She couldn't contain the excitement resonating in her voice. "And it'll be better than the last play we'd performed back at Onibus Town." She remembered meeting the chairman of the Scheherazade theater, Rabian, who thanks everyone for everything for no particular reason and the grueling hours of back to back showtimes that demanded physical labor for an entire month. But this time, they would produce her play according to their time schedule and their potential. 

But her excitement dwindled when Natsu's stoic silence brewed on. With arms crossed, his interest waned dangerously on the appeal she thought he would appreciate as much as her. "Ehh, maybe some other time, Lucy." He grinned then, holding up both fists. "Tonight, I wanna beat up something that has a face!" With Happy shouting, "Hurrah!", Natsu reached up to grab the Wanted poster.

But she seized him by the wrist. "Wait, you don't understand. Not a single person had signed up for an audition, and I need to find a cast as soon as possible." 

His eyes flattened in annoyance. "So this play can't wait for another day?"

Her hands were on her hips suddenly. Her lips pursed out in frustration. Of all the opportunities Natsu had in declining a mission offer, he had to pick this one. A mission that concerned _her_ the most. About to lose her cool and give him a piece of her mind, logic reasoning kicked in. Of course, he would respond this way with nonchalance and stubbornness. He didn't know how much this means to her. So she mentally prepared an explanation that could provoke a more desirable action from him, exhaling slowly. "Well, I already have Team Gear checking out the lights and cleaning out the junk from backstage. The least I could do in exchange for their efforts is to conduct an audition with at least one person. Preferably, before the day ends. Sucks to disappoint my fellow guild members for not picking up the slack after all their hard work." She caught the slight constriction in his dark pupils, as expected. Challenging his integrity as a team player would be something he wouldn't stand idly by without a defense. She merely shrugged and raised both hands with open palms. "But... if you guys really want to fight some bandits, then I won't bother you anymore." She turned her back towards them with the intention of returning backstage. If Natsu and Happy genuinely didn't care about the value of teamwork, taught by sheer loyalty for Fairy Tail, they would leave with that bandit mission. And if they do, perhaps she could find some outsiders who would be more eager to participate in the play. She could make fliers tonight and post them in the streets of Magnolia the next morning. Maybe then, if luck was on her side, Levy could persuade Gajeel to audition. 

A firm hand grabbed her shoulder. "Hold up," Natsu muttered. "You didn't mention others were already in on this."

She matched the intensity of his gaze, while her heart made a small victory dance from reeling him in. "There's more to this mission that you don't know about. Master himself lent the stage to us so we could help one of his old colleagues, who happens to be someone I'd known my whole life, and recently made a promise to. It's a lot to explain." She folded her arms. "So if you want, we could discuss everything over at my place. I'll just have to let Levy know that the audition will take place tomorrow. Sounds good?"

He glanced at the Wanted poster for a brief moment, then at Happy who nodded in silent agreement, and back at her, wearing a smirk. "Good enough for me. You do that." He tossed a quick glance over his shoulder and pointed the back of his thumb at the special hot menu next to the bar counter. "And I'll bring home the hot wings." 

-(Line Break)-

Natsu ripped off a large chunk of juicy chicken with his teeth. The sauteed spice coated his tongue and tinged a burning pathway down his stomach. Craving for another fresh burst of spicy flavor, he wolfed down another hot wing in his other hand.

"So," He said in a mouthful. "How did you figure out his wife doesn't love him anymore?" Swallowing, he sucked the hot sauce off his fingers.

Leaning over the coffee table, Lucy handed him a full roll of towel napkins. Another fruitless effort in maintaining cleanliness when he and Happy had already covered the entire table and floor with dirty plates and bulks of used napkins. But he still gave her credit for keeping her small apartment more spacious and organized than his own house. How she did it was beyond him. Sinking into the cushions of her armchair, she held her cup of raspberry tea close to her smiling lips with a casual shrug of her bare shoulders. "it was pretty obvious. He admitted that his wife had always been an inspiration to him throughout his entire career. Take her out of the equation, and he's already planning an early retirement." 

As she took a sip, Natsu couldn't help but blink at what he had learned. This old geezer would give up his life ambition, all because his wife wanted to call quits on their marriage? Not only it didn't make sense, but it was also downright unnatural. 

"They never had children," Lucy continued. "So their careers had always been the main focus of their lives. Mr. Wilson writes and self-publishes, teaches creative writing at a prestigious university, and submits weekly articles in the art of storytelling on _Sorceror Weekly_. And his wife, after completing her two majors in business and journalism, was recently promoted as the head publisher of her firm."

He started before she spewed out other random facts about their client. "You said you'd known this guy all your life. What is he to you?"

She lowered her eyes to her cup of tea, her mouth forming a thin line. "He told me that my mother had helped him financially when his first novel kept receiving rejections from publishers. He was so grateful to her that he would send his unpublished work to her as his personal beta reader. She would then receive a free published book from him and share his stories with me." Her hand rubbed the side of her neck. "I guess you can say that l wanted to help him in my mother's place." 

Uncertain of how to respond to that, Natsu crunched on a wing bone into splinters and swallowed. "And this play's gonna save his marriage, how?"

"According to his biography, he and his wife had first met in a theatre, watching a romantic play with a group of friends. That was when he'd first discovered that a love story can inspire people to fall in love and used his stories to woo her. And I believe that's what started their relationship. If this play becomes a success, I bet the wife will realize how good she has it with him and toss away those divorce papers."

He nodded in understanding, scooping up the remaining pool of hot sauce with a bone and popped it into his mouth. "Sounds easy enough."

She smiled weakly and rubbed the side of her neck. "I know this is easier said than done, which is why I appreciate you guys for deciding to help. After all, most people would prefer to get easy money rather than spend three months of hard labor."

She had a point there, especially if that bandit job posted on the mission board could pay off her next rent. An excuse he could've used against her earlier. Then she would've actually let him take the mission. It would be a miracle if the job was still there by tomorrow, with all the other guys in the guild who wouldn't mind getting an easy pay from an easy job.

"But even so, I rather work for somebody else's happiness." She finished and drank the rest of her tea before setting it down on the little space of the table.

Those big, brown eyes shone the same look that had guilt-tripped him into helping her in the first place. If it wasn't for the fact that she'd made a promise to that wuss, Natsu would've had things his way. But even so, he didn't mind that about her. For a year since she'd joined the guild as a newbie, their team had been efficient in completing missions by trusting her perception on people. Their chance of success with this play production wouldn't be any different.

"Okay," Lucy rested her fist on the open palm of her hand. "Let's start your audition with some cold reading." She stood up and walked over to her writing desk situated beside the end of her bed. She picked up a spiral-bound manuscript and returned to her seat to hand over to Natsu. "I think you're going to like this scene a lot."

He opened to the first page:

 _THE DRAGON PRINCE_

 _Act One, Scene Two_

 _The scene begins where the rivers flow with boiling lava, with the cry of a slain dragon reverberating against the cavern walls of the DRAGON PRINCE's castle within a volcano.  
_

_Dragon Prince (Infuriated)_

 _I will not stand for this any longer. My blood is boiling, and I got a true fire in my belly, and it resonates your name! Wherever you are! Whatever you're doing! Mark my words, King! You will never see the light of day again!_

Natsu looked up at Lucy, grinning. "It's like you'd made this character just for me!"

She giggled, a small blush forming on her cheeks. "Well, no surprise there. You are my greatest inspiration in writing this story." 

It took him a moment to peel his eyes off of her cheeks and smile back, trying not to look too flattered. After all, his friends had always said that he was inspirational, usually when it came to being the glue that kept people together in Fairy Tail.

"Read the story out loud to us, Natsu." Happy hopped onto Lucy's lap, making himself comfortable and surprising them both. The little feline had been so quiet in his game of chess with Plue, Lucy's celestial dog, that Natsu forgot he was inside the apartment.

"I got a better idea." He smirked and thrust the script into Lucy's hands. "You read it to us." 

She blinked, taken aback. "Huh? Why me?"

"Ain't it obvious? 'Cause you're good at telling stories!"

A flattered smile replaced the confusion on her face. "Aw really? Well, that's a first. I thought you two get tired of me talking so much." She teased.

"Not if you're just reading out loud." She glared, and he returned a sheepish grin. "Kidding!" When she looked down at the page, seeming satisfied, he grinned mischievously. "Not." Looking up at his mouth, she formed a playful smile and reached over to a ball of napkin on the table and chucked it straight at his chest. He feigned a dramatic death with his arms limping over the armrests. And this was why he loved to mess with her. She was smart enough to figure him out and not be sensitive about it like other chicks. 

She adjusted herself comfortably in her seat, with Happy telling her that he wanted to turn the page when she was done. "Ok, here goes nothing." She began to read. "The Dragon Prince continues to proclaim… _Don't worry, my dragon brethren, I shall avenge your blood; that I swear."_

Resting his head on the back of the armchair, he closed his eyes and allowed her words to slowly immerse him into his own imagination, allowing him to see vividly through the eyes of the Dragon Prince.

" _Your Highness!" Shouts his trusty dragon henchman. "I've come with great news!"_

 _The Dragon Prince peels his eyes away from the enemy's territory to look at the tiny dragon with batty wings. "What is it, my dragon boy?!"_

" _I'd located the enemy who helped slain our companion!"_

 _He punches into his hand and sparks of inferno illuminate the dark cavern walls in rejuvenating yellow, orange, and red. "Where is he?! So I may tear his head from his spine!"_

" _It appears that the evil king had sent our rival on horseback. He's coming this way! And he's got a hood!"_

 _"Fetch my hood for me, young dragon! We shall see who is the best-hooded man indeed!"  
_

_"Aye, sir!" The tiny dragon grabs his hood and places it over the Prince's crownless head.  
_

" _Now tell me where he dwells!"_

" _Follow me and make haste, my Prince! The kingdom lies on the coastline! May the day come when they shall never defile our land no more!" The dragon lifts up the Prince by the arms and flies him over to the forest ground._

 _With the Dragon Prince in hot pursuit, the ominous clouds roll over the starless night sky and over the untamed forest. A hooded figure slows her horse to a canter to survey the new area._

 _The tiny dragon spots the hooded figure on horseback. "Your Highness, there he is!"_

 _"Withhold me at once, my trusty dragon!" The Prince orders. He drops to the ground with a loud thud, and the hooded figure sees him. When the Prince picks his head up, revealing the fire in his eyes, fear seems to shake the hands of his foe on the horse reins. A proper response, for the Prince, is after blood… his enemy's blood.  
_

" _There you are, you hooded figure." He growls with a sheer primitive edge. "Tonight." He throws off his hooded cape. "You shall dine in hell!"_

 _A squeal of shock escapes out from the hooded spy, and she spins the horse around to run for her life.  
_

_"Oh no, you don't!" The Dragon Prince chases the enemy around every nook and cranny of the dense forest, a feeble attempt to shake him off her tail. Running past a low-hanging tree branch, the enemy pushes it forward and releases. The branch whips back and hits him across the face. He rubs the painful bruise on his face and trips on a rock, giving his enemy ample time to locate a hiding spot inside a hollow dead log.  
_

_The Prince grunts. "You can hide, but your scent smells of fragrance fit for a princess!" He blinks and mutters, "Wait... What?" The king must've sent a female spy to eradicate him and what's left of his kindred._

 _The enemy notices his dark silhouette appearing at the open end of the log. She sneaks out through the other end and breaks into a run. But her luck takes a turn for the worst when she stops at the edge of a steep, rocky cliff._

" _No..." Terror creeps into her voice. Suddenly, the Dragon Prince seizes her by the wrists and pulls her hands behind her in a restraint. "Stop!" She cries, turning around to see what many noblemen hoped to never meet in person._

" _I got you now, flamboyant dragon killer." If the fire in his eyes becomes tangible, they can incinerate her soul. But behind pure rage, she can see the grief that her father's actions had caused. He rips the hood off of her head, and utter shock quenches that fire._

 _She's around his age, all dressed in an expensive gown. Squirming against his hold, her eyes shut tight, and she whimpers, "Please don't kill me. I'm too cute to die!"  
_

_Releasing his hold from her, the Dragon Prince can barely whisper, "What is this?" His voice soon regains its volume. "Is this a joke? Has the king sent such a fragile offense to me as a mockery? Such frail beauty begging for a beating be true?"_

" _That's one flamboyant dragon killer, Sir!" The tiny dragon comments with a snicker from his perch on a tree branch._

" _This isn't a dragon killer!" He bellows, throwing up his hands. "Only a joke that was played on me!"_

 _"Frail beauty?" The Princess finds her voice. "Is that what you perceive of me, a fragile offense within your sight?! Do you not think for one second that I'm just as well as capable of defeating you?"  
_

_"Ha!" He points the finger at her tauntingly. "So you do indeed beg for a beating!" He balls his fist at her.  
_

" _No!" Her hands fly up in front of her. "You shouldn't beat those who had not slain your dragon. Although I don't consider you as my enemy, I refuse to let you insult my sex."_

 _There's an awkward silence until the tiny dragon breaks it. "She's a little feisty, aye sir?"_

 _The Dragon Prince scoffs, crossing his arms, and sizes her up. "For you are of royalty, you're indeed fragile of the fragile! So, what saith thou in your defense?" He challenges with a smirk.  
_

_The Princess takes a moment to observe his appearance. His long garments are sewn in ancient dragon scales. His boyish features lay handsomely on his face. She expects him to be all skin and bones, for surely he lives in the wilderness where there are no extravagant feasts. But his body is lean and robust. Her eyes widen, and her breath escapes in awe. "So the legend is true. You are the man whom my people spoke tales about. The man who had been raised by dragons, and bears no mercy for humanity."  
_

" _I am just as human as thee." He speaks as if she should've known better. "However, the only difference between you and me is that I speak for the dragons."_

" _So you call my kingdom fragile, and yet they're the same division that had slain your dragon with ease?"_

" _Aye," Rage reemerges in his countenance. "Because of you low dogs killed most of 'em! For the blood you have shed, I should have your head by now!" He takes a step towards her. "So I don't know what I'm waiting for..."_

 _She takes a step back from him. "My father will have your head if you lay a claw on me!"_

" _Your father isn't here. And since he already killed one of my kind," He draws another step till his face is merely inches from hers. "I'll take one of his..."_

 _She feels one of her heels almost sliding over the cliff's edge looming over the dense forest cover._ _"Please, don't kill me." She begs one last time. "I have a whole life ahead of me. There are things I want to experience!"_

 _The tiny dragon laughs, holding his belly. "Your Highness, perhaps you shall grant her an experience of a lifetime. We never get opportunities like this."  
_

" _Ah, sorry my trusty companion, but I'm not that kinda guy."_

 _The Princess darts her eyes between the two in confusing despair. "What are you two talking about?!"_

 _The Dragon Prince shoots her a murderous glare, and she realizes this might be her last chance to reason with him. "Please hear me out. I understand that you are grieving for someone who shouldn't have been murdered like an animal. Which is why I would like to make a negotiation with you."  
_

_Tension spreads throughout his whole body and his fists coiled with raging fire. "Negotiation? You're telling me that I shouldn't take your life so we can negotiate?!"  
_

_"Yes, Your Highness, it may sound irrational and unforgivable. But I too wish to rectify this crime in a manner that shall bring honor to you and my kingdom." She takes a deep breath. "A kingdom that I may one day rule alongside with my future king." Her heart pangs with the burden of marrying a prince with a promiscuous reputation to expedite the healing of her enemy's loss.  
_

_The Dragon Prince raises a brow but calms down a little. "Aye?"  
_

" _If you feel that my death would serve as an atonement for the sins of my people, then may you allow my last days of life become of use to you. If my way fails, then I swear on behalf of my Kingdom, you shall take my life as recompense for your loss."_

 _He stares at her in long silence, contemplating her proposition. And, to her relief, he leads her away from the cliff and loosens his hold on her. The tiny dragon's eyes widen with shock. This is the first time the Dragon Prince had ever shown mercy to any human. But he knew that the patience of his prince is only temporary._

 _"I am listening." The Dragon Prince manages to say, then realizes that he's still holding her hand. They both quickly pull away, and he puts distance between them. He hardly expects any kindness from humanity. But there's something warm and genuine about this woman; a rarity that might shed some light in a world full of darkness.  
_

_The princess takes a deep, slow breath and sits on a boulder to calm her nerves. "The goal behind this plan is for you to remain innocent and allow the world to witness the corruption of my father's ruling. I'm certain that you may have heard of the Dragon Execution Law that he'd recently established. After an event when the dragons had attacked the kingdom. Once I reign, I shall annul it, for my dream was for my kingdom to live in harmony with the dragons."_

" _This land belongs to the dragons!" He asserts with a shake of his fist. "Your father came here willingly and almost slaughtered a whole race!" His eyes narrow then. "You said you were here to negotiate. I don't hear any negotiation going on!"_

 _The Princess holds back her irritation to avoid another life and death conflict with him. She folds her arms with an exhale. "You're right. According to legends, the dragons had once lived peacefully in this land. It was my father's lust for power and recognition that brought him to claim this land as our territory; thus, conflicts with your people. My father is fully equipped to slaughter any dragon that steps foot on our territory, cleanly. This ongoing battle will only end in bloodshed and more casualties. So to avenge your kind, you need a mediator... And this is where I come in."  
_

_He smirks. "He doesn't scare me."_

 _It's becoming hopeless for the Princess to convince him, so she attempts a different tactic. Shifting to the side, she crosses her legs and flicks her long, golden hair into the wind, exposing her bare shoulder. She eyes him with a wink. "Come now my dearest prince, even a royal gentleman such as yourself may believe it is wise to listen to a lady's wisdom for once."_

 _He merely wears an unamused expression._

 _She claps her hands together with a squeal of excitement, catching the Dragon Prince off guard._ _"Excellent! I shall go and mediate the conflict between you and my kingdom, but first, we must –"_

" _\- Do things my way!" He cuts her off short. "I show you the ways of the dragon. And then you shall teach your father our ways and force_ him _to void the Dragon Execution law himself. I rather not wait around till you play queen to avenge the death of my brethren." He says with a low growl._

 _Something tells her that her life will depend only on this final say, regardless of her father's reaction. So she nods. "Then it shall be."_

 _"Good. Glad we came to an agreement, princess." He whips around, and his robe of dragon scales sweep across the ground, and the Princess follows him to the mountains of flowing lava.  
_

_She rubs her hands together in excitement._ _"Oh! This shall be the first time I've ever stood face to face with a dragon! How I'd wished to see them as a young girl! You know, my maidservants and knights had always worried that"  
_

" _Uh, well actually – " He jumps at the sound of her loud gasp._

" _Oh, I wonder! Is it true that dragons live in caves for most of their lives and only come out for hunting? If so, then how do they raise their offspring? Do the baby dragons live in solitude to fend for themselves, or their nurturing mothers are always present to tend to their every cry?"_

 _The Dragon Prince opens his mouth, but the Princess asks, "Was it your father or mother who'd adopted you as their own son?"  
_

" _Will you shut that from which you speak!"_

 _She glares at him with daggers. "That's not how you should speak to a lady! You do best to remember who you're talking to!"_

" _And you do best to remember your life is in my hands!"_

 _She lifts her chin with defiance and crosses her arms with a huff. "Then I suppose I'll have to teach you how to woo a lady while you're at it."_

 _The Dragon Prince stops as the Princess keeps on walking. The tiny dragon takes a moment to tease. "She's very feisty. My lord, surely she catches your fancy, eh?"  
_

_He shoots a fiery dart into the dragon's face with a snap of his finger and smirks. "I'll marry when women can bridle their tongues."  
_

Lucy closed the script and lifted her eyes up to see Happy snoring softly on her lap, curled up into a blue ball, while Natsu rested his head on the armrest with his legs sprawled out on one side. His eyes looked heavy with sleep, but he wore a satisfied grin.

"Heh, you're right. I do like that scene."

With a soft giggle, she placed the script down and carefully set Happy onto the seat without waking him. "I'm glad you'd enjoyed it." She picked up the dirty plates and transferred them into the kitchen sink. "I knew you were going to like the Dragon Prince. Would you like to try auditioning as him now or tomorrow?" She reentered the living room, only to find Natsu already conked out in a deep slumber, snoring with his mouth open. Lucy figured his body couldn't handle another minute of staying awake after a long day and opened her linen closet to place a blanket over him. She turned off all the lights, deciding to get them to clean up the rest of their mess, and tucked herself under her pink quilt. She mentally said good-night to the Dragon Prince and his tiny dragon spending the night right here in her humble abode.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter** **Three**

Lack of Cast

On an early Saturday morning, Natsu covered his head with a pillow to muffle out the annoying wake-up call ringing in his ears. He knew he was asking for trouble when the armchair had evicted him with a sore back and exiled him into the welcoming town of pink Fluffyville he called her bed. So he'd expected a good yelling from Lucy, or who many guys back at the guild like to call her, the Blonde Beast. Except… her roar sounded way too giddy than usual. He peeked out from under the pillow. Lucy wore a grin as if she'd received news of someone having a baby. She seized him by the wrist and pulled. "Come on! Get up, Natsu! We got to go to Fairy Tail now!" Repressing a groan for another fifteen minutes of snooze, he let her drag him out of bed and into the guild hall. 

A long line of wizards had formed in front of the mission board, signing up for today's audition, and extended towards the center of the room. Lucy and Levy squealed in unison, clapping their hands together and bouncing on their toes, while Natsu exchanged a mutual glance of indifference with Happy. 

_Women._

Operation Dragon Prince could still make leeway with or without the extra drama. Then, Natsu took this moment to scope out his potential opponents. Enthusiastic determination masked every face of earning the spot under the limelight, except his own. He already got an advantage that could crush the competition: the sacred, in-depth knowledge of the Dragon Prince's character, graced by Director Lucy herself.

"Hey, Natsu." Happy tugged at his pants. "Let's take that bandit mission before someone else finds it first."

The sudden proposition jarred him out of focus. "You're not gonna audition?" He raised a brow.

Happy shook his head. "There's no need to. Lucy's got enough people to audition for the roles. And plus," His wide eyes darted left and right before he cupped his mouth in a loud whisper. "This play is a joke."

He blinked. Not because this was all news to him - he already knew this play was a joke - but the fact that his best friend had proposed to abort the mission. An unexpected behavior that produced an opportunity to escape the risk of being cast as a laughingstock. Sure, he didn't mind people poking fun at his dance moves and other actions that showcased variations of his stupidity. That stuff happened by choice. But never in a thousand suns would he stoop so low in turning his dignity into a punching bag for the whole world to use. Punching a bandits' face in would bring more satisfying justice than saving some old geezer's marriage with warm, fuzzy feelings. But aborting a mission also clashed against supporting a teammate. 

Groaning inwardly, Natsu looked towards the stage front where Lucy and Levy stood. Levy drew out the word 'Copy' in the air with her finger, forming a spell incantation, and swiped it onto the manuscript with her arm. Lucy watched with her big, brown eyes and smile illuminating her face, as a tower of scripts piled high. And she immediately handed a copy to each auditionee, answering questions, placing her hand on shoulders for encouragement, and giggling at what may have been flattering comments. A few days ago, she wouldn't even let him have a sneak peek on her finished novel. It was too embarrassing, she'd told him, clutching the papers snuggly into her chest and out of his reach. Seeing her taking risks now was a fresh reminder of why he recruited her into his team. Sweet as she was at first impression, she shared his craving for wild adventures that he embarked on. And this mission was her way of satisfying just that, even if this was anything but adventurous. 

"I skimmed through the entire script last night." Happy continued. "There are only three major male characters: the royal prince, the king, and the Dragon Prince." He narrowed his eyes, balling his paws onto his sides. "The royal prince is more like your typical girl's fantasy of the perfect boyfriend. Tall, handsome, rich, you name it. And the king." He shook his head. "A pansy and a pushover. He's a panshover!"

Natsu cracked a smile at the wordplay and kneeled down for Happy to look up. "Look, I get it. This mushy romance crap makes me gag as much as watching Lucy try to be sexy. But Fairy Tail's reputation is riding on this mission. It's best to work together to get the job done, ya know?"

His ear twitched, a sign of mental cogwheels turning in his tiny brain. "I guess so." With sunken ears, he kicked lightly on the wooden floorboards. The dust swirled up aimlessly, clouding the sun rays from pouring through the high-ceiling windows. "Just wish the tiny dragon character wasn't such a pansy."

Natsu stole another glance over at the stage front. Wendy, the youngest dragon slayer in the guild, and her Exceed, Carla, received a copy from Lucy. He formed a smirk, along with an idea. "Least you can still impress Carla with your acting skills." 

Both of his ears stood erect, and his tail curled up. "Carla? You think she'll be watching?" 

He shrugged, folding his hands behind his head. "I don't see why not." He grinned. "This play's pretty much a chick flick, so there's a good chance that every girl will be watchin' you show your stuff."

Happy raised his paw, almost making a vow. "There's only one woman I got my eyes on."

He couldn't had been more right. With only a few Exceeds milling about on Earthland, he didn't have many options. But reminding him that would only douse the hype Natsu had aimed to accomplish. 

"Natsu! Happy!" Lucy called out, grinning, and waved them over to her.

Happy pressed onward, already targeting Carla as his primary audience for his role as the trusty dragon. Only, Natsu trailed behind, observing the cat's newfound zeal. Even with half of Fiore's women population of his kind, Natsu vowed to not make a fool of himself just to impress one. 

The smell of fish stirred Natsu to open one eye halfway. In a blur, a blue form gave way to Happy's round face looking down on him. He pulled the fish away from his nose.

"They're done with reading." He said, biting off the face of his snack. 

Natsu slowly pushed himself up on the sitting booth and stretched his arms out with a yawn. It was about time. Earlier, Lucy had decided to hold a cold reading session with the group, and he'd complained about the sheer waste of time. The whole purpose of Old Gramps, their headmaster, lending the guild's stage to them was to conduct an audition, not to sit around and read the scenes all day.

Only, Lucy sighed irritably at this. "Natsu, how are you going to audition for your role if you don't read your scenes?"

"Easy." He smirked. "I got Happy to read 'em for me."

"Eh?!" Happy's mouth dropped. "Why use me? It's your role, man!"

"I'll get you a nice, big fish."

He gave him the cold stare. "Bribing me with fish, huh?" After a momentary pause, he relented. "Do your worst, villain."

"See, Luce?" He grinned with pride. "Happy agreed. I got the villain thing down packed without reading."

She facepalmed. "This isn't going to end well."

And she was right. She'd already wasted more than half of the day, yapping her gums about every single detail of the mission, instead of doing what they came here to do in the first place. But he refrained from telling her that; it would only cause her to catch a hissy fit with him, wasting both of their time. People would ask him how he survived the wrath of Fairy Tail's renowned princess. His answers had ranged from "skill" to "magic." Any answer was better than "beats me." Lucy gave mercy to whoever she deemed worthy.

Natsu relaxed, resting both arms on the back of the booth, when Lucy stepped onto the stage with the clipboard at hand, shifting her attention towards them. "Okay, before we get started on the audition," She said, "I'd like to thank you all for joining me on this mission. This totally means a lot for our client, who's counting on us to do what he loves to do. To tell a story that will inspire, not just his wife, but to anyone with the capacity to love others, even to those who are undeserving to be loved. Why? Because love conquers all things, strengthens and heals all bonds. It brings joy, forgiveness, and patience towards one another."

"Alright, we get it, Luce! Just start the audition already!" Natsu interrupted before her speech could waste another hour.

"I'm getting there!" She retorted, ignoring the sound of a few people laughing at their exchange. "So without further ado, our first one up is..." Glancing down at the clipboard, she looked up with a grin. "Vijeeter. Come on up." She waved him over and descended from the stage to take her seat behind the parchment paper and fresh ink bottle. 

A brown-haired guy dressed in a black suit stepped onto the stage. Without a word, he immediately started dancing ballet. An awkward silence filled the room, and then, a steadying ambiance of euphoria. Happy wagged his tail, purring happily, as a couple of oohs and aahs resonated from the spectators. Natsu looked towards the bar counter and the secluded corners of the hall. The powerful wizards seemed to remain unaffected by this emotion-inducing magic spell. He glanced over at Lucy, about to stop the performance for her to concentrate. But she merely raised her hand, and Vijeeter ended his dance with a final pivot, frowning as always. "Vijeeter, have you picked a scene to try out?" 

He looked left and right, then shook his head. 

She smiled. "I don't know if you realize this, but we're not producing a musical."

His brows rose up in surprise. Then, he lowered his head dejectedly and dragged his feet off the stage. With guilt plastered on her face, Lucy dipped her quill into the ink bottle and jotted down a few notes. Natsu couldn't believe what he was seeing. The same woman who got on his case for not reading a scene was searching for ways in how to fit someone worse than him into the play. Granted, he already knew she was the type to wear her heart on her sleeve. But that didn't stop him from predicting this particular habit in becoming a hindrance later on in their mission.

By evening, Lucy had gone down the list of names, asking what role or scene they would play. Then, they endured the lengthy, monotonous recitations, stiff acting, and soft-spoken personalities. After Wendy finished her audition as the princess' maidservant, Lucy checked off the last name on the list. The majority of the spectators were leaving their tables to sneak in another mission before ending the day or turn in early. They had enough of watching disappointing performances back to back, including Carla, who joined the multitude to not keep Wendy staying up too late.

Lucy sipped on her hot cup of tea that Mira Jane had brewed for Team Gear and Team Natsu. "Alright, last one for the night." She said wearily, setting the cup down. "Natsu, Happy, you're up."

"Aye, sir!" Happy spread out his wings and flew towards the stage, leaving Natsu behind once again. As he made his way onto the scene, the script at hand, Lucy continued with her instructions. 

"Ok guys, you'll be doing the Dragon Prince scene on Act One. I'll prompt the scene as the princess for you."

Natsu stared at her. He never told her what role he was auditioning for. Hell, she didn't even ask him, like she did with the other auditionees. Assuming his interest of the Dragon Prince must had seemed conspicuous enough for her to figure him out, he smirked. "I don't get a say on this?" 

Her smile exposed an amusing glint of mischief in her eyes, as her fingers rolled the quill around deftly. "I figured you'd prefer us to not waste any more time with chit-chat." A brief pause followed along with her sheepish grin and slight blush of embarrassment. "And we only got about a half hour till the guild closes for the night. So make it count." 

He chuckled softly. "You don't have to tell me twice." With Happy waiting on the sideline, Natsu prepared to impress the only audience left in the guild, who watched him with genuine eagerness.

Lucy steadied the trembling in her voice as she gripped the side of her seat. "M-My father will have your head if you lay a claw on me." In real life, her father wouldn't know about her death until years later, depending on how rigorous the schedule of his next long-term business plan was. With Natsu, full protection was guaranteed, along with his profound way of establishing the kind of emotional security lacking in her life.

Only, he'd completely changed on her.

" _Your father isn't here."_ He jeered with a growl, his eyes craving for bloodshed, causing her shoulders to tense up. Jumping down from the stage, every step towards her enhanced the unrecognizable malice behind his too wide grin. _"And since he already killed one of my kind."_ He tilted her chin up towards him, his face now inches from hers. _"I'll take one of his."_

Her breath caught, and she repressed the urge to knee him in the groin. Regret then scolded her for even thinking of doing that. Natsu wouldn't really kill her. Why punish him for evoking fear that this scene called for in the first place?

He'd evoked something else within her too. But she quickly tamped it down before it could form a burrow into her fantasies and infest her logic. She cleared her throat, cursing herself for those sudden warm, fuzzy feelings returning at the wrong time, especially for someone who was more interested in playing the vilest character than _her_. "I… don't think that sort of action was on the script."

He blinked, suddenly out of character. "Oh." He pulled away from her and rubbed the back of his head. "Eh, sorry about that. Guess I got a little too carried away again. Need me to start over?"

"Oh no! That won't be necessary." Upon seeing his raised questioning brow, she quickly clarified. "You didn't do anything wrong, don't worry. You were amazing! Unbelievably talented! The audience sitting at the farthest end of the theater would be at the edge of their seat. Your improvisation just…" She picked her words carefully. "Caught me by surprise and... I really like it." If Happy had seen the images that ran through her mind right before she said the last part, a dirty joke would be made. She jerked her gaze onto her notes and the stage-crafting book, forcing herself to focus on the mission and not the warm flutters in her heart nagging for closer examination. 

According to her reading on _The Art of Stage Crafting_ , her actors mustn't feel conformed to the script. Instead, they must act however they feel their characters would make to enhance a scene. If Natsu thought he'd be penalized for adding a new action into the script, she would stunt his creativity and engagement to the story, and fail as a good director.

Natsu grinned with satisfaction. His fists rested on his sides with an air of accomplishment. "So that means I got the role, right?"

"Aye!" Happy cheered, hopping around at his feet. A bit too soon than she'd wanted.

"Uh, no." She tried to put it delicately.

"Huh?!" Their mouths dropped.

She sighed. "Guys, there are some things to consider first before casting a role to anyone."

Happy's tail fell flat to the ground, and he looked lost. "Like what?" 

Hating to be the wet blanket, she picked up Happy from beside her feet and placed him onto her lap, stroking his head. His eyes melted into purring bliss. "Well for one, the actors must have the abilities to adapt to new ideas in a scene," She looked right at Natsu, insinuating every word. " _Read_ and _study_ scenes to memorize lines and blocking before showtime." 

Natsu folded his arms. "Back at this topic again, huh?"

Happy tilted his head back, giving her fingers access to scratch beneath his chin. "Sucks for Natsu. He inherited his memory skills from a goldfish."

"Anyway." His tone hinted annoyance before growing serious when he shifted his attention to Lucy. "You said something about blocking. What does fighting in defense got to do with acting?"

She giggled with the shake of her head. "I don't mean it in that sense. Blocking is a term we use in theatre. It means the actor must be at a certain position in a scene to provide momentum in the story. It's more entertaining and easier for the audience to follow."

He kept a blank stare.

"We'd talked about this before back at the Onibus theatre?"

He blinked.

Then Happy intervened. "He wouldn't remember that, Lucy. Remember we had to use sound effects for him to get the blocking right? That's why we made him play the dragon. He had only one job. To roar. And he went and burned up the entire stage."

"Quit your exaggerating, Happy." Natsu scowled. "I only burned up Lucy's dress." His serious expression forced a chuckle out of Lucy, and he glanced at her. "What are you laughing at?"

She shook her head with a dismissive wave. "It's nothing. Here. Allow me to demonstrate blocking." Setting Happy down on the floor, she rose out of her chair and led them back onto the stage. Then, Mira Jane called out from the bar counter to remind them that she would be closing really soon. And Lucy reassured her before turning to face her teammates. "Ok! My position here is called Centerstage, while your current position over there is Right Centerstage. Our positions tell the story to our audience by setting a certain pace in a scene. For instance, let's start with one of your lines: 'I should have your head by now, so I don't know what I'm waiting for.' You then come towards me to center stage." She gestured him to do so. 

When he obeyed, she realized she made a terrible mistake. She forgot the guy bore no shame in standing mere inches from her, close enough to feel his body heat. Her hand naturally planted onto his chest to stop him. Another mistake made. Between his black, open front waistcoat, her palm felt the lean and chiseled aftermath of his morning workout. She didn't dare to lift her eyes up to his face. How embarrassing would it be if her gaze stayed at his bare chin, or worse, rose up to his mouth? She shut her eyes tight, shaking off the images out of her head. 

"Hey, you ok?" Natsu broke her train of thoughts.

"Oh! Yeah!" Her voice sounded an octave higher than she intended. "Uh, why wouldn't I be?"

"Your face is turning red."

"Ah ha ha… You don't say?" She forced a grin and fanned her hand over her face. "Whoa, is it just me or this place is a little warmer to you guys? "

"Nah, it's just you." Happy seemed to needle her with a tease. She shot him a warning glare, hoping he could take a hint and keep his thoughts to himself. He returned a casual wave of his paw, unfazed. "Proceed with the demonstration, Director Lucy. I'm having fun watching this."

"Not me, man." Natsu deadpanned. "Still confused here."

"Don't worry." She assured instantly. "I'm getting to the point." She took a deep breath. Spontaneous romantic feelings were normal to have, she reminded herself. She could still choose not to entertain them with her co-workers, especially with one of her closest friends. They'd been friends for one year; she could stay friends with him for another year, and the year after that, and so on. And besides, it wasn't like Natsu would be interested in a romantic relationship with her anyway. With determination restored, she continued. "This is a block. When the Dragon Prince's action causes the scene to progress by moving closer to the princess. A block also can reveal character development. On right center stage, the Dragon Prince was distant and suspicious towards the princess. But after moving to the center stage where the princess is standing, this action changes his relationship with her, from being distant to up close and personal. The audience senses this because, Natsu, your next line is…" She gestured with her hand for him to recite. 

"Your father isn't here. And since he killed one of my kind, I'll take one of his."

"And then the next block would be touching the princess' chin." She felt his fingers again, this time with more hesitancy from his side. The warmth of his touch had always made her feel safe. _No._ She balled her fists at her side. She shouldn't be thinking like that. Stepping away from him, she turned around to hide the flush reappearing on her cheeks. "That wasn't part of the script, but you can still use that action if you choose to. That's the end of the demonstration." As well as any desire to be this physically close to Natsu in her own play. "Any more questions?"

Happy raised a paw. "I got one. Can you give us another blocking demonstration on the kissing scene?"

"No way!" She snatched up the book, knocking over the ink bottle. The ink splattered on top and pooled beneath the stack of parchment paper full of handwritten notes. A hollow clink sounded as the bottle rolled across the floor. "No no no no!" Her hands hurried to lift up the stack, but wet pieces of paper stuck to the desk. Only remnants of her handwriting were left unsmeared, but time spent in recording auditions for future reviews could not be salvaged so easily. Lucy closed her eyes, sighing deeply, and glared at her teammates.

Natsu knitted his brows together, recovered from the shock. "Don't look at me. I didn't do that." 

"Ugh!" She stormed past them, clutching the book and the ink-stained pages close to her bosom. The double doors to the exit were the clearest elements from the surrounding blur. Only Mira's snowy white hair was visible as her mouth opened to say something. But even that didn't stop Lucy from trying to get some fresh air and clear her head from the topic of romance enough to put back the soggy pieces. 


End file.
